Education for All and cross-border provision of higher education in the Asia-Pacific

Abstract

Worldwide, the issue of supply and demand in higher education is becoming an ever-increasing concern of the new millennium. Since 1990, when the Education for All movement began, significant progress has been made towards achieving a quality basic education for all by 2015. While UNESCO may not necessarily reach this goal for all children, a considerable proportion, irrespective of background or nationality, will receive a basic education free of charge. Currently, emphasis is being placed on the quality and variety of instruction. However, little is being done about what to do with those students who ultimately complete their secondary education. Using secondary data from UNESCO's Global Monitoring Reports (2005; 2008; 2010) and the United States Census Bureau International Data Base (IDB), this research attempts to analyse empirical estimates of data compiled specifically on the Asia-Pacific region and the projected estimates of school-aged populations from the present to 2015. While it is admittedly difficult to forecast what will occur in the future with these children - moreover identify variances in national education policies and standards-based reforms - this study aims to use these estimates to determine what appropriate mechanisms and/or interventions may be needed to meet anticipated growth in student demand in the region. As developments in cross-border initiatives impact the provision for tertiary education, a discussion of this subject follows the earlier analysis. It is noted that a careful cross-national comparative study may help inform future cross-border higher education models,particularly in those countries where already demand far outstrips supply.